Lovebug
by librastar
Summary: "So let me get this straight." Pakkun's sleepy eyes were wide open with disbelief. "You're going to be her boyfriend for a week?" "Just a make-believe one," he retorted snappishly. "Until Shizune can come up with a counter-jutsu." Not all jutsus need a counter-jutsu and not all happy endings can only be found in fairy-tales. KakaSaku, GenShi.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** As always, I can't claim credit for the wonderful world of Naruto because all characters, places and references are the copyright of the genius that is Masashi Kishimoto, and everything else is simply a figment and work of my imagination.

**A/N: **It's been a while since I wrote some good old fashioned rom-com fluff and this idea popped into my head after reading Rock Lee's Springtime of Youth Chapter 22: Icha Icha Kiss-kiss Cutesy Lovey-Dovey Cuddly Heart Throb. Various pairings: KakaSaku, GenShi

**Lovebug **

**Chapter 1 **

"Tiger – Ram - Ox."

A faint red glow surrounded the scroll, the 'Ai' kanji in the middle glowing so brightly the entire flaxen surface seemed to have caught fire, shimmering and dazzling red-gold before suddenly fading into nothingness, leaving the small room shrouded in near darkness again.

Adjusting the small wax stump that was all that remained of her last candle, Shizune straightened and wiped her sweaty brow with a relieved sigh. "Phew, I didn't realise it had gotten so late. Thank Kami that was the last seal sequence. Now, if this little thing works just the way Kurenai said it should, by this time tomorrow I'll have him eating out of my hand!" A mischievous giggle quite unlike her usual stoic self escaped as she started carefully rolling up the small flaxen scroll.

"There you are, Shizune-senpai!"

Startled at the sudden click as the door opened, Shizune dropped the scroll that had been loosely gripped in her right hand. Feeling a small flurry of panic, the dark-haired medic watched in horror as the small scroll teasingly rolled away from the table, landing tantalisingly out of reach and just before the sandaled-foot of a puzzled Haruno Sakura.

"Eh, what's this?"

Before Shizune could call out a warning, her pink-haired kohai had already picked it up and spread it open. Almost instantly, the scroll emitted a faint crimson glow similar to the one it had given out earlier and an odd, glazed expression flashed across Sakura's startled green eyes before disappearing as soon as it had come.

Shock paralysed her limbs.

Sakura remained motionless for a few more seconds, before slowly blinking. "That felt…odd. What just happened?"

A feeling of dread was beginning to settle in the dark-haired medic's stomach. "Ahaha, it's nothing much Sakura-chan," she laughed, trying to cover up the sinking feeling. Snatching the scroll from her still-stunned colleague's hands, she quickly pocketed it. "Just a little joke scroll Anko gave me that she's planning to use on Iruka. It ah…lights up when you open it."

"Okay." Sakura was still squinting suspiciously at the spot where the scroll had been mere seconds ago.

Another knock sounded on the door. Instinctively, Shizune turned her head to see who the newcomer was.

"Sumimasen, Shizune. But Hokage-sama was asking urgently for you…"

With a gasp of horror, Shizune suddenly realised that Sakura had also turned to look at the shinobi who had just entered the room.

As the two shinobi locked gazes, a red spark seemed to flash across the pinkette's eyes and Shizune suddenly felt her growing dread crystallise into one of all-encompassing terror.

* * *

**EARLIER THAT WEEK**

"I'm a failure, Kurenai," Shizune mumbled incoherently, downing half the sake bottle in one go as the brunette genjutsu user watched, stunned. Hiccupping loudly, she wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "Thirty-five years old and still unmarried. And I promised Uncle Dan I would give him a couple of grand-nephews to remember him by!"

Kurenai exchanged a helpless look with Anko; the tokubetsu jonin merely rolling her eyes at the drunken display of emotion before them. It wasn't often they managed to get Shizune down to The Dancing Shinobi with them, and Kurenai was just beginning to remember just why they usually didn't want to. She patted her fellow jonin sympathetically. "You still have some way to go to match Tsunade's record," she tried to joke, firmly but gently nudging the sake bottle away from the inebriated medic.

Shizune buried her head in her voluminous black kimono sleeves, thumping her fists wildly on the table top and causing Anko to frantically make a grab for all the shaking glasses and bottles. "Kuso!" she cursed, as a glass to her far left wobbled violently before crashing down onto the floor.

"All I ever wanted was to make jonin, and to have a nice husband and two pretty kids. Is that too much to ask for?" came the muffled wail. "I never had big dreams to become Hokage, or to become a hero…" she made another wild swipe for the sake bottle but Kurenai was faster. "Never had plans to reinvent the kunai or make the centre-spread of Shinobi Weekly. All I wanted was to become just like you." She raised her bleary, alcohol-glazed eyes towards her.

"Me?" The ruby-eyed genjutsu mistress shared another half-amused, half-exasperated look with Anko, the latter merely raising a sardonic eyebrow in response. "Geez, she's almost as bad as Gai."

Shizune gave another drunken slur. "I knew I should have sat next to Asuma at the Academy instead of Ibiki…I knew no good would come out of a guy who wore all-black and had an unhealthy obsession with mental torture at the age of SEVEN. I knew…" She hiccupped loudly again.

"Well," Kurenai winked slyly at both kunoichi. "I can't claim all credit for myself. I did have a little helping hand along the way."

"From what? A lighter?" Anko sniggered.

Smirking, she placed a finger on her lips. "I actually got the idea from Rin. Remember how she used to be crazy about Kakashi?"

"An understatement to say the least," Anko snorted. "The girl actually _read_ Icha Icha just so that she would have something to say to him!"

Kurenai continued. "Well, it was actually her idea to use a love jutsu."

The purple haired tokubetsu jonin made another scoff of derision. "You're kidding me."

"I swear it upon the heads of Hokage Mountain."

Anko's mouth dropped open.

Kurenai smiled. "We actually found the formulae for the jutsu in the Konoha Library. It's called the 'Love-at-First-Sight' technique. It's a jutsu that causes anyone to fall in love with the first person he or she sees as soon as they're exposed to the jutsu!"

Anko gave another snort. "That's ridiculous. No jutsu in this world can manufacture feelings or love, no matter how much we wish they could. If it was so easy, nobody would ever have to go through the whole bullsh*t of falling in love."

The jonin gave Shizune a conspiratorial wink. "Don't be so sure about that."

* * *

It hadn't been terribly difficult to find the book containing the 'Love-at-First-Sight' technique. Lurking in a bright corner of the 'Children's' section, Shizune tried to ignore the weird looks she was sure Iruka was giving her as she nonchalantly dusted it off the shelf before fleeing to a more private corner to read.

_Love_, she read, tracing her thumb over the red and orange kanji that dotted the page, the bright colours and cheery pictures guiltily nagging her that this book was probably meant for impressionable and naïve kunoichi aged twelve and below, not single and jaded kunoichi aged thirty-five and above; _is one of the most basic emotions that humans cannot live without. Everybody dreams of falling in love and finding their one true lov…_

"What are you reading?"

"Aheeeeee!" Shizune nearly jumped three feet in the air, as she struggled with the dual challenge of trying not to fall over in shock and frantically slamming the book on love jutsu shut.

Shiranui Genma chuckled, twirling the senbon between his lips casually. "Did I scare you?"

Although her cheeks were probably now an unflattering shade of neon pink, she couldn't help giving an annoyed huff. Her heart was beating a tattoo on her chest, running mad circles around and around. _Calm down_, she hissed at her inner self. _You are a mature, grown-up woman of thirty-five, not a 10 year-old pre-genin swooning over her first crush. Oh, of all the people that had to pass by, why did it have to be…?_

Undeterred, the bandanna-wearing shinobi merely gave another chuckle. "Sorry, it's just that you looked so intense I couldn't help but feel curious about what you were reading. Mind if I take a look?"

"NO!" she yelled instinctively.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're touchy today."

Covering her mouth at her reflexive outburst, Shizune tried to cover her increasingly scatty thoughts with whatever semblance of dignity she had left. Stammering, she replied, "This is a uh…top-secret jutsu that Tsunade has asked me to research. No one but the Hokage and uh…myself are allowed to see it." The pink patches on her cheeks glowed even brighter with her obvious lie.

Thankfully, he didn't pursue it. "Sure," he shrugged, sticking his hands back into his trouser pockets. "Anyway, I have to go. Kasumi is waiting for me."

A surge of jealousy shot through her, but she faked a casual laugh. "Another one of your weekly conquests, or a mission?"

Surprisingly, it was the Hokage guard's turn to look slightly embarrassed. "Oh no," he smiled, scratching the back of his head in a slightly adorable show of awkwardness. "She claims I promised to take her out for lunch weeks ago so she's come to collect on her promise. I'll see you around, Shizune. Ja ne!"

As she caught a glimpse of Kasumi's brown curls waiting for him at the entrance, she looked at the book and back to the entrance.

And made her decision.

* * *

If only she could dismiss everything as nothing but a bad dream.

But the longer she stood there staring at Sakura, the more the reality of the mess she had gotten herself into was starting to sink in.

Kakashi was utterly bewildered at the scene before him, but he coughed softly. "Sumimasen, Shizune. But Hokage-sama has an urgent mission for you." He reached into his jacket pocket and extracted a red-sealed scroll. "Aoba's team are in pretty bad shape up in Kumo and she wants you to head the rescue squad."

Willing herself out of the daze she had been beginning to sink into, the jonin medic quickly shot back. "What, now?!"

Kakashi gave her another odd look. "They are in pretty dire straits," he said baldly. The shinobi was feeling slightly confused and more than a touch irritated. Why was she reluctant to leave? It wasn't like Shizune to delay when her comrades were in obvious danger.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a pair of arms wrapping themselves around his waist. "Kakashi-sensei," a voice purred next to his ear, warm breath sending shivers down the back of his neck.

The silver-haired jonin froze.

Shizune gulped. So Kurenai had been right.

* * *

"Tell me you're joking."

"I'm afraid I'm not."

The jonin's lone charcoal eye widened considerably with something closely resembling fear.

In all the years she had known him, she had seen Hatake Kakashi face fifty-feet tall Bijuu and S-ranked shinobi three times his size without blinking an eye but for the first time in her life, the Copy Ninja truly looked frightened.

"You mean to tell me that…" he echoed weakly as Sakura lovingly stroked his silvery spikes, cooing how "soft and wonderful" they felt, "Sakura's…in love with me? Thanks to some jutsu you found in a _children's_ book?"

The dark-haired medic wrung her hands. "I'm really sorry, Kakashi. I never meant to get you or Sakura involved, and I never meant to test it out until I found a counter-jutsu!" She collapsed again. "And I don't have time now, thanks to this mission from Tsunade-sama."

Nervously backing away from his pink-haired student, who had progressed to nuzzling his neck, Kakashi tried to detach himself from the part that was screaming bloody murder back to the rational, analytical side of him that had saved his hide on so many occasions. "Do you know how the jutsu works? That might help us in figuring out a cure."

"Kurenai might, but she left on a solo to Kiri yesterday."

He cursed internally. "Could I have a look at the scroll then? My Sharingan might be able to decipher the mechanism behind the jutsu."

Shizune shook her head. "It's too risky. You might fall under its influence too, and I think we've already caused enough havoc for one night."

"Hokage-sama should be notified about this."

"No!" she yelled, before getting a grip of herself.

Kakashi gave her an incredulous look. "We have to." his voice was markedly raised, signalling at the usually laconic Copy Ninja's growing alarm. "We can't just leave Sakura and me in this…this…state! What will people think!"

Trying to break the tension in the air, Shizune joked, "What's wrong with Sakura? Not your type?"

The fierce glare he sent her extinguished her lame attempt at humour. She hung her head. "Please. I don't want her to know."

The male jonin shook his head. "What were you…" He sighed. There was only one explanation why Shizune would be messing around with a love jutsu like this, and Kakashi didn't need to have been a genius to know why. Feeling a slight jolt of pity for his long-time friend, he replied, "I'll make you a deal. I won't tell the Hokage about this for as long as you're on this mission, so you'll have about a week to think about a cure. But if you still haven't found a solution by then, I'll have to spill the beans."

Despite herself, she couldn't help a small smile; she supposed the solution was quintessential Kakashi; pragmatic and effective, but with the extra hint of compassion so often lacking in shinobi. And it was more than what she had expected from him. "Accepted. So in the meantime, will you be alright looking after Sakura?"

Letting out another of what he suspected would be the first of many sighs that week, Kakashi swallowed. "I suppose…I have a new girlfriend."

* * *

"So let me get this straight." Pakkun's sleepy eyes were wide open with disbelief as he took in the sight of the pink-haired kunoichi snuggling into a very reluctant Kakashi's embrace. "You're going to be her boyfriend for a week?"

"Just a make-believe one," he retorted snappishly, just in case the pug was getting the wrong idea. "Until Shizune can come up with a counter-jutsu."

Pakkun continued eyeing her dubiously. "She's not going to be staying here is she? I like the couch."

Kakashi exhaled heavily. "Try reasoning that with her…"

* * *

**A/N**: What on earth has Kakashi gotten himself into?! How are Naruto, Sasuke, Tsunade and the rest of the village going to react when they find about Kakashi and Sakura's new "romance"? Will Shizune be able to find a counter-jutsu? Love it or hate it, please drop a review! Concrit and feedback are most welcome Apologies as well if it's a departure from my usual style of work, but work on Omiai is going very slowly (especially since I started work) and the mood tends to get very serious and intense. Been needing something to lighten up with as a distraction.

**PS** In case you didn't catch the little hint up front, 'Ai' is the Japanese kanji for love. Gaara has this kanji tattooed on his forehead


	2. Chapter 2

**Lovebug**

**A/N**: Wow, I can't believe the amazing response this story has gotten; 12 reviews and 23 alerts in a fortnight? Take a bow, everyone.

Much love to: the unregistered wolf animagus, briarleaves, KakaSaku4ever, sasusaku3623649, quiltedcat, CaptainGorganus, harvestangel99, Laurie, Pixychick84 and agata for the lovely reviews and the numerous favs/alerts.

Last time out, we saw Kakashi agreeing to "boyfriend" Sakura for a week while Shizune tries to figure out a counter-jutsu to the love jutsu Sakura is under. What will happen when the rest of Konoha finds out?

**Chapter 2 – DAY ONE**

_Brrrrinnnnggg! A ramen a day keeps the medic away!_ _Brrriiinnnngggg_! _A ramen a day keeps the medic away! Brrriiiinnnnggg!_

Groggily, Kakashi blindly reached out a hand to slam shut the neon orange custom-made alarm clock Naruto had gifted him for his last birthday before the insane trilling and idiotic 'proverb' of the day made him any crankier than what he already felt. The room was still swathed in semi-darkness, although a sliver of golden light was visible from the crack in the curtains.

Stumbling heavily to the bathroom, Kakashi fumbled in the darkness for the handle. He tugged it open.

It didn't budge.

He tugged it again.

It still remained fast.

"Go away!"

"Sakura!" He snapped. "What are you doing there?" He had almost forgotten about the new live-in addition to his household he had acquired last night.

"Showering your dogs, of course!" Her sarcasm wasn't lost on him. Kakashi frowned. Sakura sounded exactly like her normal self – had the jutsu worn off?

He rapped the door. "I need to take a shower."

"You'll just have to wait your turn then."

He spluttered in annoyance. "But it's already 7.05," he couldn't help whining almost petulantly. "I always shower at 7.05." Contrary to expectations, Kakashi; although it was hardly known among his friends, was actually a stickler for routine. Everyday, he woke up at exactly 7.00 am. At exactly 7.05 am every day, he had a hot shower. By 7.18 am, he had finished dressing and was out of the house on the way to the cenotaph. He would stand and stare at the memorial stone, losing himself in past memories for ages before slowly drifting off to the training grounds or whatever mission he had for the day, always taking care to be exactly two hours and twenty three minutes late for every appointment he had scheduled. It was what he had been doing for years.

It irked him severely whenever anything or anyone threatened to disrupt his little routine. It was why he rarely had guests over. Or girls.

Dragging himself back to bed, he piled the covers back on moodily. Looks like this whole girlfriend business was going to be more (to borrow the Nara men's favourite phrase) troublesome than he'd thought.

At precisely 7.28 am, Sakura sauntered out of the steaming bathroom wrapped up like a Grecian goddess in one of his towels, little droplets of water falling by the hundreds on his floorboards. "Sorry Kashi-kun," she giggled, giving him a brilliant smile that completely lit up her viridian gaze. "I guess I got a bit carried away. By the way, do you own any decent toiletries? I had to use Pakkun's shampoo for my hair, and I haven't done that in ages!"

Kakashi didn't know what was more outrageous: the fact that it was 7.28 am and he was now officially 10 minutes late to the cenotaph, or the ridiculous nickname she had just used on him. What happened to good old-fashioned sensei? He was so annoyed at the mess she had caused to his meticulously thought-out schedule that he failed to take in the delicious way his rather scanty towel clung to her hardly-seen curves, or the small rivulets of water making their way down her long, slim legs.

He stormed into the bathroom, muttering darkly before suppressing another roar of frustration. She had used up the last of his toothpaste.

* * *

"This is a joke right?"

A sense of irony washed over him as he watched his blonde student echo the very words he had choked out last night.

"Sorry, Naruto. It's not."

The Kyuubi container's face changed from a sickly-grey to ashen white. He turned to Sasuke, his bright blue eyes beseeching him to tell him that it was all a delayed April Fool's joke or some elaborate bet they had made.

If only it was as simple as all that.

Growling loudly, Sakura possessively slung his hand across her shoulders. "I don't know what you're so grouchy about, Naruto. Kashi-kun and I are together, ne anata?" Her voice softened to another girlish giggle as she gave the masked jonin a flirtatious look.

Kakashi swallowed again, before nodding weakly.

Sasuke's face was as impassive as ever, but his onyx eyes regarded them warily. Kakashi felt a hint of worry; if anyone were smart enough to blow their cover, it would be the Uchiha protégé. Thankfully, he merely replied, "I suppose congratulations are in order then."

"Teme!" Naruto exploded next to him, absolutely stunned at their teammate's blasé acceptance. "You can't just let Kakashi-sensei steal Sakura-chan away from you! I thought…I thought you wanted her to have your babies!"

An uncomfortable silence filled the air, and Kakashi coughed discreetly.

Sasuke shrugged his broad shoulders nonchalantly. "She is accounted for now, and there are other girls in the village whom will be suitable. We've wasted enough time, it's time to begin our morning training."

From the purplish hue Naruto's face had become, he was sure the whiskered young man was dying to let out a torrent of protests but he meekly followed the Uchiha heir back to the open field of Training Ground Three. Feeling slightly guilty as he watched their retreating backs, he gripped Sakura closer to him and walked slowly after them.

"It's okay teme, I guess you always have me."

Perking up his ears, Kakashi snickered behind his mask.

* * *

Naruto let out a tremendous burp, patting his oversized orange belly with great satisfaction as he winked heartily at Teuchi. "That was great, ochan! One more bowl of char siu ramen, please!"

The old man laughed. "I don't think so, Naruto. You look ready to explode."

His sky-blue eyes widened. "But I've only had nine bowls."

Kakashi stifled a smile beneath his mask as he quietly placed his chopsticks alongside his empty bowl. Next to him, Sakura did the same.

"It's on the house, Hatake-san," Ayame flashed a brilliant smile at Kakashi. Ever since she had been lucky enough to glimpse his maskless face several years ago, the brunette had taken a great shine to the jonin and he had never had to pay for anything at Ichiraku's, no matter how many bowls he ate. It was why he almost never ate anywhere else these days.

"Aren't you paying for me, Kashi-kun?"

His hand, halfway tucked inside his jonin trousers pocket froze. Ayame had frozen too.

Mistaking his silence for indignation, Sakura huffed. "It's only polite for a boyfriend to pay for his girlfriend's meal, anata. Even if he did eat for free."

CRASH!

Ayame had dropped the stack of ramen bowls she had been holding, but she seemed not to notice or care. Instead, her eyes were narrowed at a visibly uncaring Sakura.

Kakashi resisted the urge to sink lower into his seat. _There goes my free ramen. _

* * *

CRASH!

He was really going to have to invest in a pair of earmuffs after this.

Kakashi winced as Tsunade's fist ripped through the thick, wooden desk like kunai through flesh, a horrible creaking sounding as the wooden boards splintered from the force of her punch. But even the ferociousness of her hit was nothing compared to the fire in her amber eyes that threatened to devour him like a Choji eating yakiniku.

"You bribed her."

"Nope."

"Blackmailed her."

"Nope."

"Threatened her."

"Nope."

"Knocked her up."

"_Definitely_ not."

"KUSO!" She thumped her fist again on the remnants of the wooden splinters. "I won't give up!" Standing up, Tsunade slapped a 1000 ryo note onto the cracked surface. "I bet 1000 ryo it has something to do with Icha Icha!"

Kakashi eyed the little green piece of paper with as much disinterest as he dared. "Believe me, Hokage-sama. Sakura-chan and I are actually (cough, please excuse me, Hokage-sama) in (cough) love."

Tsunade grunted. "I can't let you go without making at least one bet. I'll bet 1,000 ryo it won't last more than a week."

His eye creased with amusement. "In that case, make it 10,000 ryo."

The Hokage was momentarily stunned into silence before she quickly recovered; her eyes now alight with a manic gleam he usually associated with her annual Kill Jiraiya and Naruto Day. "Yosh, you're on brat! There's no way my student would put up with your perverted ways for more than a week."

Normally, Kakashi would have balked from such a challenge but this time, the silver-haired jonin firmly crushed his fingers against the Hokage's while trying to hide the smirk under his mask.

This was one bet he couldn't wait to win. He did feel a twinge of guilt that he was cashing in on Sakura's misfortune, but quickly brushed it aside. By the time Tsunade found out about the love jutsu, Kakashi would have already spent the 10,000 ryo on the latest Icha Icha Heaven – Collector's Edition.

Swigging another generous gulp of sake from the glass she had poured him, Kakashi added, "And while you're at it, loser has to give the winner a foot massage."

* * *

**A/N**: Did anyone catch the SasaNaru hint? All in the name of humour people - I don't actually ship them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Lovebug**

**A/N:** Apologies for the long wait – hope everyone still remembers the plot! Shoutouts to Hakkuchi, Seikura, agata, harvestangel99, Kashi, annashina, Laurie, Pixychick84 and q-e17for the lovely reviews – your kind words keep me going.

**Chapter 3 - DAY TWO**

If life were a fairy tale, Kakashi would have been kidnapped in the middle of walking down a narrow Konoha alley down a manhole to a hidden paradise where every girl who had ever appeared in the Icha Icha series would be incarnated in living, breathing flesh.

There, the sun always shone and the girls always said yes.

Life would be one big Icha Icha Paradise.

But sadly, this was a shonen anime not a fairy tale so Kakashi had to contend with being kidnapped in the middle of walking down a narrow Konoha alley on the way to the Pink bookstore and being dragged unceremoniously down a manhole into a dark room with a single light bulb.

There, the sun never shone and the four girls glaring at him didn't look as if they were in any sort of agreeable mood.

Life sucked.

"_Konbanwa_, ladies." He said calmly, his hands itching to reach into his back pockets for Icha Icha Tactics but they had tied him up with chakra restraining wires. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?"

They narrowed their eyes.

"Whatever you've done to her," Ino hissed. "UNDO IT."

Kakashi widened his lone charcoal eye innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Tenten stepped forward, brandishing a rather lethal-looking spiked ball with an equally impressive chain. "We know what's going on," she scowled.

The silver-haired jonin sighed. When he had signed up to become Sakura's temporary boyfriend-to-cover-Shizune's-ass, no one had mentioned anything about torture and interrogation under ANBU conditions. "Do you?" he shrugged laconically.

"You've got Sakura under some sort of love jutsu using that Sharingan of yours," Ino whispered menacingly.

Kakashi sighed internally; Shizune had just earned herself a lifetime debt of massages. "And if I did?"

Predictably, his show of infuriating nonchalance only served to incense the assembled kunoichi there even more.

"We'll see how well you hold up under torture, Copy Ninja," Ino glared, an evil glint in her baby blue eyes.

Again, Kakashi tried not to sigh. "I must warn you girls," he replied as blithely as he could. "I passed my Torture and Interrogation training in ANBU with flying colours. Even Ibiki gave me a lollipop after he gave me my scores."

Tenten blinked. "Who said anything about torturing you, Kakashi-sensei?"

Slowly, she held up a familiar orange book in her right hand, and a pair of kunai in her left.

* * *

"_Gomen nasai_," Kakashi mumbled as he cradled the sorry-looking Icha Icha Paradise in his arms, futilely trying to stick the fraying pages Tenten had viciously hacked with her kunai with sellotape. "I couldn't protect you in time."

After nearly ten minutes of failure, the jonin moved on to smoothing out the blatant dog-ears Ino had made over his favourite chapters, their ugly lines and creases now marring Jiraiya-sama's lyrically beautiful prose. Kakashi regarded his once-beloved companion with great sadness. They'd blacked out his favourite drawings with calligraphy ink too, he couldn't see the girls' nude bits anymore.

"You look like a teenage girl's romance book now," he said out loud.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to wallow in misery as an energetic rapping soon sounded on his door. Sighing heavily, he opened the door to reveal a beaming Sakura who promptly threw her arms around him in a big bear hug. "Where have you been, _anata_?" she pouted. "I tried finding you around the entire village but no one claims to have seen hide nor hair of you. You haven't been hiding out in the Pink Bookstore again have you?"

Not wanting to go into any detailed explanations of the psychological trauma her friends had just inflicted on him by making him watch his lifetime companion get ripped to shreds before his very eyes, he nodded dumbly.

The pinkette tutted loudly. "Now now Kashi-kun, you really shouldn't be going into that trashy place anymore," she scolded him gently. "You have me for your personal entertainment now!"

The silver-haired man felt his jaw clunk downwards in shock at her reaction, notwithstanding the light blush staining his cheeks at her last comment. The Sakura he was used to would have punched his ribs into the next building and loudly denounce him as a pervert for the entire neighbourhood to hear.

Ironically, this new, "Sakura-in-girlfriend-mode" was decidedly just plain _scary_.

Taking his silence as acquiescence, Sakura grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the door. "Come on, we have errands to run."

* * *

As they made their way through the village, Kakashi became acutely aware of people staring. At him.

Or more precisely, his right hand.

Which was at this very moment, being held in a vice-like grip by his "girlfriend", as she mercilessly half-dragged, half-led him through the streets of Konoha.

He glimpsed an open-mouthed Genma staring at him from the dango store while some passers-by literally stopped to gawp at the strange pair.

"Sakura," he muttered so as not to arouse suspicion from their watchful audience. "I'm not very comfortable with such public displays of aff..."

The rest of the words died in his mouth as he saw the beginnings of a thunderstorm gather on her face. Evidently, the love jutsu hadn't quite cured her of her monstrous temper.

Feeling more and more awkward by the second, Kakashi let himself be obediently led like a dog on a leash through the winding alleys and streets to Konoha's main market place.

"Why are we here?" It was perhaps the stupidest thing he had said all afternoon.

Her eyes already fixed on the vast spread of Konoha's finest agricultural produce before her, the kunoichi merely replied, "Isn't it obvious? We're going grocery shopping."

His heart sank. For Kakashi, "grocery shopping" usually meant a quick trip to the corner grocer once a week whenever he got back from missions and realised that he had nothing to eat. And even then, he only ever spent time in the take-away and processed food aisle. Half an hour, tops.

Sakura, arming herself with two huge baskets as she scanned the numerous stalls and traders for the best bargains, looked like she meant serious business.

For the first hour or so, he tried to take an interest whenever she asked him whether this green cabbage was better than that green cabbage, or whether the oranges from that stall were better than this one. By the end of the third hour, he had decided that he couldn't really care anymore whether this stall's apples were green or red or yellow; they could have been black for all he cared and he would have still asked her to buy them so that they could go home.

When they finally did reach home, Kakashi was still moodily slouching next to her when he realised that this was the first time he was stepping foot in her apartment.

"I'll just get dinner started," she said, disappearing into the kitchen as Kakashi took in the neat one-bedroom studio apartment his ex-student had been renting for the past three years. As expected of Sakura's neat and almost obsessive-compulsive disorder for all things orderly, the furniture was all matching and colour-coordinated; pine wood and soft ocean-blue cushions. A bookcase filled with medical scrolls and books sat in a corner of the spotless living room, while sitting on the mantelpiece in the place of honour was a very familiar framed picture. The whole place smelt of something gently floral and fragrant, a smell Kakashi realised he usually subconsciously associated with Sakura.

He walked over to the far end of the room. Sakura had placed several potted plants on the window ledge as well as the balcony, and Kakashi was greeted by several pots of blooming chrysanthemums and miniature sculpted bonsai as he stepped out into the narrow ledge. Walking back towards the kitchen, he also noticed the neat stack of trivia board games placed underneath the wooden coffee table in the middle of the lounge. There was even a battered looking shogi set buried underneath the pile.

There was so much he didn't know about Sakura, Kakashi suddenly thought. In his mind's eye, he'd always imagined Sakura to always be the girlie, gigglish type of girl whose home would probably be furnished entirely in pink, lacey and poufy things; maybe even with a couple of old Sasuke plushie or two. This apartment was the home of a mature young lady with refined hobbies and intellectual pursuits. She was all grown up now, and Kakashi had somehow missed the entire process.

"Dinner is ready, _anata_." Her voice broke through his wandering thoughts, and he visibly started.

"Mmm?"

"Isn't your favourite dish miso eggplant with broiled saury?" she raised her eyebrow, beckoning him to the table where the most delicious amalgam of smells was assaulting his senses. Maybe this girlfriend thing did have its perks.

"When did you learn to cook?" he couldn't help himself from blurting out as she ladled him a generous helping of rice and eggplant.

She smiled slightly. "Ever since I made jonin and moved out of my parents' place? I burnt a couple of stoves but I think I managed to get there in the end."

As she turned away to fetch some more plates, he pulled down his mask and tried a little. "You could think about giving up your day job," he called after her. "This is better than the corner shop's miso eggplant any day."

"Are you saying I'm a better cook than ninja?" she challenged him, a playful smirk playing on her lips. This was such a typical Sakura answer that Kakashi almost forgot that he was only playing a make-believe role; he was so much at ease around her that it was easy to believe that it was all real and that they really were dating and sharing a romantic dinner.

Romantic dinner date. With Sakura. He couldn't believe that those words had just crossed his mind.

_Get a grip_, Inner Kakashi smacked him hard across his proverbial face. _We only need to keep this charade up for another six days until Shizune is back. Don't lose focus on the task._

_That's all it was_, he chided himself. _A task and a favour. _

All through dinner, Kakashi watched her watching him suspiciously as he somehow managed to chew his entire way through three courses and one dessert without showing her even a sliver of his face. Of course, the secret was to gulp things down when her eyes were on her food and take his time chewing when she did look up at him but she didn't need to know that.

"When are you going to show me your face?" she asked him later as they were washing up. "

Placing another dish on the dish rack, he shrugged. "In due time," he replied. "After all, we've just er…began to er…date. You can't expect me to learn all my secrets in one night can you?" He gave her a charming eye-crinkle.

Watching a familiar pout form on her lips, Kakashi turned back to drying the dishes when he felt a pair of arms cage his waist. "Oh definitely, I look forward to many more nights of unravelling your secrets."

Kakashi froze. _Not again_.

"Sakura", he grunted, trying to push her off him. "I don't think now's the time for…"

"Not the time for what, sensei?" she grinned, licking her lips and looking him up and down like a predator eyeing up a particularly juicy morsel of meat. "If we don't start now, we're never going to learn now are we?" She started caressing his lower back and thighs, her soft fingers running sensous circles down the fabric of his ninja trousers.

Oh no, he groaned. Shizune never said anything about dealing with love-jutsu-ed and infatuated medics! Pushing a little harder against the kunoichi, he was just debating whether to make a dash for it using the Body Flicker Jutsu when she felt him squeeze his butt.

Just a light one, but still!

That's when Kakashi spun her around. "All right Sakura," he replied, grabbing the kunoichi and pulling her close to him. "Two can play at this game."

The pinkette looked delighted. "You mean I'll finally get to see your face as well?"

Ignoring the question, the masked ninja removed his headband and leaned in towards her. Rather distractedly, he noticed that Sakura lips were stained with the same colour of the strawberries they had just eaten for dessert, and she unconsciously kept darting her tongue out to lick her lips; a sure sign of her nervousness. Just before she closed her eyes and leant forwards towards him, he opened his Sharingan eye.

In a matter of seconds, her green eyes became glazed and she slumped over his shoulder. Sighing with relief, Kakashi carried her to her bed and tucked up the slumbering kunoichi securely. While the mild Sleeping Jutsu he'd used on her wouldn't erase her memory when she woke in the morning, at least it would give him enough time to disappear from her apartment at least for tonight.

Taking one last look at Sakura's peaceful face, he slipped out of her window and into the night.

* * *

**A/N**: If you check the databooks, Sakura's hobbies are reading medical scrolls and playing trivia games while Kakashi's favourite food is miso eggplant and broiled saury.


End file.
